The Road to Paradise
by Of Priest and Pharaoh
Summary: Kaiba can only run so far from destiny, and a dark shadow from his ancient past threatens to destroy all that crosses its path. Does his relationship with Yami hold the key, or will the two be strangled by the Red String of Fate? (Prideshipping: Kaiba/Yami)
1. Warning Signs

**The Road to Paradise**

**Rated:** T

_Cover Art by Yugi-eh at tumblr __(commissioned piece)_

* * *

_Chapter One:_ Warning Signs

The school bell rang through the hallway marking Kaiba late for class... not that he cared. In _his_ mind, running one of the most successful companies in Japan was a pretty good reason to be late. Besides, it wasn't as if he was missing the beginning of a lesson. Today was field trip day. School was pointless for him on a normal day, and was even more pointless on a field trip day.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes as he walked down the hall to his classroom, irritation clear on his features. If it wasn't for attendance purposes he wouldn't be here. Heaving a sigh and feeling a headache already starting, he pushed the door open to class. Students were scattered about the room, standing, sitting on the chairs, sitting on their desks. The teacher was up at the front calling attendance.. or at least, Kaiba _thought_ she was just calling attendance. He froze as soon as he heard:

"Yugi Mutou and Seto Kaiba."

The teacher stopped and looked around the room. Her eyes landed on Yugi sitting in his chair about halfway back on the far side of the room. Yugi perked up a bit when his name was called. Once the teacher saw him she continued scanning the room for Kaiba; Yugi was doing the same.

Was she calling out partners for the day? The brown-haired executive's blood froze in his veins. There was no way he was suffering an entire field trip with the pint-sized wonder as his "buddy." Not a chance in hell. A field trip was bad enough. He didn't need this.

The teacher hadn't seen him yet. If he acted fast enough he could turn and pretend he had never been here. Without a second thought, Kaiba turned to flee from the room.

A hand slapped on the CEO's shoulder.

"Yo, Moneybags," Behind Kaiba was Jou, disheveled as always in his blue school uniform, satchel tossed over one shoulder casually. Perhaps Kaiba would have gotten away for the day, but the blond's voice was awfully loud. "You runnin' late too? It's a good thing we both made in time for the field trip, yeah?"

Kaiba casually brushed Jou's hand away from him as he turned around. "Katsuya", he stated the surname coldly, "Late as always I see. I wouldn't expect anything less from a third-rate duelist like you."

"Hey-!" The blond's mouth was wide opened to respond, but Kaiba's dismissive glance cut him off. After giving his version of a greeting to one of his least favorite people in existence, the young CEO turned back around and strode into the room, his unbuttoned school jacket fluttering about his waist in a way no one else's uniform seemed to. Pretending he hadn't been about to flee the school property, Kaiba passed his teacher without so much as a nod and made his way to his favored seat towards the back of the classroom. Along the way he passed his riva,l sparing the miniature duelist the briefest of glances, his cold blue eyes growing a shade darker.

Yugi glimpsed over at Kaiba with his bright violet eyes as the CEO passed. He offered the brunet a small smile, but didn't say anything. Jou was quick to hurry to his own seat, waving brightly towards his best friend before sitting at the desk.

The teacher cleared her throat. "Thank you for making it here, the both of you." She didn't press more on the issue. Kaiba was Kaiba, and, well. Jou was always late. The teacher continued sounding off the rest of the pairs. Yugi glimpsed back, trying to see if he could catch sight of his partner for the field trip.

Inside his head, another voice spoke. One he was familiar with.

_'So both you and Kaiba have been partnered together.' _The deeper, more confident voice that Yugi had become accustomed to spoke out, echoing within the depths of his mind. Yugi didn't respond; he didn't need to. The voice of his darker self, Yami, faded into nothingness, but his presence still lingered.

Noticing that his assigned partner was trying to get a look at him, the brunet duelist turned his attention to the window in an attempt to avoid any accidental eye contact. He was not, and never would be, Yugi's friend in any sense of the word. He didn't want to give his rival the wrong idea by choosing to acknowledge him at school now.

It was a bright day outside with a few scattered white fluffy clouds. Once the CEO had successfully drowned out what he considered the droning of his teacher and the quiet mutterings of his classmates, Kaiba could hear the distant sounds of traffic and life in general. At the very least, the everyday noises were far more interesting than anything that was going on in this room. Not by much, but it was better.

No longer able to lie to himself about the outdoors being amusing, Kaiba turned his attention to the book bag he had propped up against the legs of his desk. Still avoiding any potential eye contact with anyone, the cold duelist managed to cast his blue eyes on his bag and fish out a book… a few seconds too late.

"Now that everyone knows who their partners are and attendance is complete, please make sure you have anything you may need for the trip packed up. Remember the assignment we discussed yesterday. It will be turned in at the beginning of class tomorrow." The teacher's voice cut into Kaiba's mind, easily grating on his nerves. It wasn't that the woman had an unpleasant voice... he just didn't want to have to listen to her. Not today. The young teacher clasped her hands together and gave her class a warm smile "Also, please remember to behave yourself at all times during this outing. Misbehavior will not be tolerated." She paused and gave a discrete glance to a couple of students in the class. Both Jou and Honda glanced at each other from across the classroom. "Now everyone please make your way down to the buses. Our class is on bus two. You will be sitting with your assigned partners."

Without another word from the teacher, all the students in the room began stuffing their necessary belonging in their bags and started filing out the door, the dull chatter raising in volume. Kaiba remained seated, watching everyone start out the doors. Sit with your _partner? _This trip kept getting worse and worse. He had been hoping to sit by himself on the bus.

Yugi rose from his chair, but before he could go and meet up with Kaiba, Jou slung an arm around his small shoulders, pulling him in.

"You're gonna be stuck on this whole trip with _Kaiba?_" Behind him, both Honda and Anzu came up, the young girl glancing over towards the CEO who was still sitting in the back of the classroom. "Man, way to suck."

"Kaiba-kun isn't _that_ bad," Yugi chastised his friend, and his purple eyes made their way over to where the brunet sat. "...It will be fine." He had to wrestle Jou off of him, and reluctantly, his friend released the small boy.

"If you say so," And both Jou and Honda headed out the door of the classroom. "Later, Yug!"

"Be careful," Anzu added, as if Kaiba was planning on maiming him. Yugi smiled, waving after her until Anzu disappeared out of the classroom with a flutter of her pleated skirt. The two rivals were now alone.

The noise level died significantly as all their classmates traveled further and further down the hallways on their way to the buses. Aware of the growing silence, Kaiba slowly turned his attention to the only other person in the room. Once again his already cold eyes grew darker as he looked at his partner.

"Don't think for one second that I am going to like this," he finally stated darkly. Kaiba reached down and snatched up his book bag, rising fluidly from his chair. Irritation growing with each passing second, the young CEO reached up and pulled at the collar of his button up shirt as he began his walk down the rows of desks. He brushed by Yugi, almost making it a point to send the smaller duelist backwards into one of the desks. Yugi's hands caught himself before he toppled over and he looked over at Kaiba, only catching sight of his back.

"H-hey, Kaiba-kun...!"

The CEO didn't stop. He briskly made his way to the door, not that reaching it would spare him any significant time from his partner. He probably only had seconds before his pint-sized nightmare came padding along after him telling him how this trip might not be so bad and trying to make him believe it might actually be a little fun.

He was right. Yugi was quick to exit the room, hurrying along until he reached Kaiba's side... kind of. It was a little hard to match his friend's long stride (well, he considered Kaiba his friend, anyway). Yugi released a sigh, glad to have caught up.

"The museum should be interesting!" And already the small talk had begun, making Kaiba cringe internally. This was already turning into a long day and it wasn't even passed 9 AM. "There's supposed to be some really interesting exhibits there! I'm sure we'll be able to get a good look at some great artifacts!"

Kaiba sped up just a little bit more. If anything he could make it a little harder for his partner to keep pace with him comfortably. If he was really lucky the younger duelist might just give up on talking and focus on walking. "What makes you think that I care about some old artifacts?" The older duelist shot back in response. "This trip is nothing but a grade to me. I just want to see what I need to finish my assignment and that's it."

"Well _I_ think it's interesting..." Yugi said slowly, voice trailing off.

The brunet reached the stairs first and took to them, taking two at a time. Not a normal thing for him, but it would make it harder for Yugi to keep up with him. Not to mention if he was really lucky his assigned partner would fall down the stairs and be sent home early. Not that the older duelist was counting on it, but he could dare to dream. "You can daydream and stare at all that useless junk all you want, just don't get in _my_ way or cause me any problems," Kaiba replied, not even sparing a second to look back.

He could hear Yugi following him down the steps. Of course, with Kaiba's long legs, the blue-eyed student was already out of sight before Yugi was halfway down.

Out at Bus #2, the class was already boarding. Their teacher was still standing at the door, waiting for the last two of their group. It was then that she saw Kaiba heading her way.

"There you are, Kaiba-kun." She looked down to her clipboard. "...Hm? Where is Mutou-kun?"

Kaiba shrugged and stepped past his teacher, "Somewhere back there."

Before his teacher could say anything else, the brunet had already taken all the steps up onto the bus. Almost every single seat had been taken by the different sets of partners. Quickly he spotted an opening but just as quickly dismissed it. It was directly next to Jou and across the way from Honda. He was already attached to his rival by a figurative chain, he didn't need the two loudmouth friend's of his rival within arms reach to top it all off.

Within a few more seconds he spotted another opening and just as quickly dismissed that one as well. It was still a little too close to the first two pains and put him within easy earshot of Anzu. He definitely didn't need any speeches about friendship and the chatty girl would be almost guaranteed to give one. With a captive audience how could she not?

Growing desperate Kaiba scanned for another seat. He dismissed one more over some pretense or another before finally spotting one that was suitably far enough removed from the classmates he deemed the biggest headaches. Before anyone had the chance to change their seating choice, Kaiba swooped into place and moved over next to the window. From that spot he could keep his attention on the scenery rather than his pathetic classmates and their antics.

Yugi made it onto the bus, looking around until he spotted Kaiba. The youth brightened upon seeing him, and he made his way over, pausing by the seat. Maybe Kaiba didn't have the same sentiment in mind, but Yugi was determined to make the best of their trip, Kaiba be damned. Of course, if would make him feel a lot better if he could get the CEO to get in on the fun. Maybe he would loosen up a bit if he did.

The small duelist took a seat beside Kaiba on the bus. He sat his backpack on his lap. The teacher did a final headcount, and the bus started moving.

"Um..." Yugi didn't want to sit in silence. "...I ah, brought my deck with me!" He unzipped his backpack, reaching inside and rifling around. "I even got a few new additions, too! Gotta make sure it stays fresh and all."

Kaiba kept his eyes glued on the window, though the mention of Duel Monsters did peak his interest. It always did, and his personal misery very well knew that. As much as he tried to ignore his fellow duelist he couldn't. Not entirely.

Half against his own will Kaiba responded, "New additions? Hah. With the modifications I have made to my deck whatever you've done to yours won't help you. Next time we duel, you _will_ lose to me, Yugi."

"I guess we'll just have to see!" Despite Kaiba's comment, Yugi was in good spirits. When it came to Duel Monsters, Kaiba couldn't get him down. In the end, regardless of what Kaiba said, he was still the current champion. Of course, Yugi wasn't opposed to the thought of being beaten... if he was, that just meant there was even more to improve upon. The youth held his deck up; on the bottom, the Dark Magician showed its face. Perhaps it was just the way the artwork was, but the magician seemed to be staring down Kaiba with an intense gaze. "I guess Kaiba-kun gets to see all of the new cards before they come out, hm? Ojiisan is usually really good about getting the new booster decks when they come out, though!"

The CEO was listening but he was doing his best to ignore the miniature in the seat next to him. He wasn't for idle chatter. It was a waste of time and served no purpose. Before he could get sucked back into a position where he couldn't help but talk, Kaiba reached into his bag and fished out the book he was going for when the teacher had made the announcement to get ready to leave earlier in the classroom. Feeling the worn spine with his fingertips, the brunet felt a sense of relief. A reliable distraction was now in hand.

With no further delay, he pulled the book from his back and then placed his book bag on the ground between his feet. With no further regard for Yugi, the brunet promptly flipped his book open to the place where he had left off last with no problem, even though he was not using a bookmark and he hadn't read from the book in a few days. From here on out the plan was to keep immersed in his book to avoid conversation with anyone and everyone.

It worked. The buses finally arrived to the Domino City History Museum, and once they had parked everyone began to file out. Jou and Honda waved to Yugi as they passed by. The small duelist waited patiently beside Kaiba, glancing over to see if his "buddy" was still engrossed in his book or not.

"Ready to go, Kaiba-kun?" Yugi asked, rising from his seat once everyone had exited.

Letting out a short sigh he hoped no one noticed, Kaiba rose from his seat, resigned to his fate. Before he picked up his bag and followed after his partner, the CEO took a moment to straighten his shirt and button up his jacket. Walking around school with an unbuttoned jacket was one thing. Walking around in the open public was something else completely.

Content that he was presentable, Kaiba slowly followed after his partner. Out of the blue he found himself more than a little irritated that the shorter youth barely made it past his waist. How could anyone be that unfortunate? His rival was in highschool and had grade school kids as tall as he was. He couldn't imagine being in his position.

Briefly Kaiba's features twisted out of confusion. Since when had he ever considered anything about Yugi other than how to beat him in a duel?

Once off the bus he plowed by his assigned partner and made for the place where all the students were massing up in front of all the teachers near the large ornate entrance to the local museum. The museum was a large, light stone building, its shades and hues closer to whites and creams rather than gray. Shallow steps led up to entrance and in front of the stairs large carved pillars stretched up from the ground like small stone towers. About two stories up the pillars attached to the large overhang that covered the entrance and the stairs.

Everyone was eager and excited. The students chatted happily amongst themselves creating a small sea of babbling noises as they waited for further instructions. The small mass did nothing to help the CEO's already fouling mood.

Unwilling to get himself surrounded on all sides, the young executive picked a spot next to a large white stone pillar. At the very least he could guarantee he would have one side where no one could stand. His mood going further and further downhill due to his now forced idleness, the brunet crossed his arms over his chest, finally letting his body language catch up to how he was really feeling. With any luck the teachers would get their instructions over with (for the hundredth time) and turn them all over to whatever museum officials and workers that they needed to. With any extra bit of luck any tours or what not would be completed quickly so he could get down to finishing his assignment. If the powers that be had any sort of mercy in store for him this day they would make it so there were no other planned activities other than lunch and the initial tours and educational talks.

Jou, Honda, Anzu and Yugi stood around together, chatting as the rules were gone over and everyone was starting to split up. Anzu was torn away from the guys by a group of girls, and she waved, stating firmly they needed to all meet up for lunch. Jou looked to the side where he saw Kaiba being a wallflower. The blond made a face before looking back to Honda and Yugi.

"You _really_ gonna hang out with that blowhard all day?" Jou asked, jerking his thumb towards the CEO.

"He's not a blowhard," Yugi stated, shaking his head at his best friend. "Kaiba-kun is Kaiba-kun! I think once he gets in there and sees the exhibit, it will be a lot of fun!" Boy, he was sure counting on it. However, the young man winked towards his friends. "Don't worry about me!

"I've got a, what would you say... a _trump card_ to play, anyway."

Around his neck, the Sennen Puzzle gave a faint, golden gleam.

"Good luck," Honda stated, and the two taller guys lifted their hands, waving as they headed off with their assigned tour group. "Later!"

Yugi waved after them. He turned, looking over towards Kaiba from where he stood. Already Kaiba was absently following their assigned group, his expression clearly indicating his dislike even for this particular task. The smaller duelist trotted over to catch up with his group as they started off down one of the many hallways.

Less than an hour and a half later all the students found themselves making their way back into the grand entryway of the museum. Once there a teacher gave them further instructuctions though they had heard most of it all ready if they had been paying attention earlier. However, repetition for high schoolers was rarely a bad idea, especially on a field trip day.

Once the teachers were done speaking with a group they were dismissed to wander about the museum to look at any of the exhibits that they wanted to with clear instructions to stay out of trouble and to meet back up in the lobby in around two hours for lunch. Like germaphobes fleeing the plague, the students quickly dispersed around the museum relishing their new found freedom.

Now free to move about the museum, Yugi took a quick look around. They might have been brought on a very brief tour of parts of the museum but that did not mean he had gotten a good look at all the exhibits he would have at his disposal. Their guides had mentioned a few ones to go check out other than the ones they were showing. Across the way the small duelist saw what he was hoping to find.

Pleased, Yugi pointed towards the dark opening into one of the exhibits. Above the dark doorway was a gold Eye of Horus that shimmered, beckoning for all to enter. "Kaiba-kun!" He called out to his partner. "Lets go! We don't have all day!"

Quietly Kaiba looked to the archway the smaller youth had indicated. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I am not spending my time in _that _exhibit." Searching for an out, the taller youth glanced about the lobby to see just what his escape options were. From what he could tell he could care less about all of them. "I'm going there,", he finally announced with the tilt of his head, indicating the exhibit on ocean life.

Yugi took one look at the exhibit entrance Kaiba had indicated and grew immediately confused. Seeing that the tiny duelist wasn't buying into his weak attempt at feigned interest, the CEO gave an audible sigh and started for the Egyptian exhibit his partner had pointed at. At this point it was pick your poison. Why not pick a poison that would distract Yugi most?

Seeing that Kaiba was following, Yugi hurried off into the exhibit, disappearing into the darkness. Kaiba watched as the other was completely enveloped by shadow before making his way inside himself. The interior to the exhibit was dimly lit, in fact, the whole exhibit was in an attempt to give it a feeling of mystique. Within glass boxes were several displays set up of golden icons and decaying artifacts.

In front of a large stone statue of the god Horus, the distinctive figure of Yugi could be seen.

Only _this _time...

Upon Kaiba's entering the area,the CEO noted that Yugi's body seemed _too_ still. One hand rested on his hip, cocked out into a casual, confident stance. That was all that it took in order to tell apart _that one_ from the other, normal, sweet Yugi that walked around during the day. The form seemed to have grown taller, but it was not in height... just in presence.

The dim light that filled the exhibit hall reflected off golden bangs and wine-red tips. The eyes, now _those _were different, abandoning their plain purple color for a more fiery, intense hue that seemed to engulf the whole of his being. It was those eyes that now stared down Kaiba from across the room, easily seen, completely overpowering all the ancient wealth and majesty that surrounded the two duelists.

This was _him_. The one Jou and the others called "the Other Yugi". The Dark One.

Yami.

Kaiba locked his dark blue eyes with the fiery eyes of the alternate version of Yugi. The CEO never wanted to believe there was another Yugi, especially one in the exact same body. Before, he had always denied what he saw...told himself it was something to do with the lighting or the heat of the moment. Kaiba sought to find reason for the man's "existence", but in the end he couldn't. Nothing he thought of remotely made sense. So here he was, numerous encounters later and still unable to come up with a logical explanation.

Like previous times, he simply let acceptance wash over him and he walked by Yami, making his way to a display to the left of his true rival. He found himself looking down at what he called a bunch of old rocks. Really it was a few old stone tablets with old carvings embedded in their weathered surfaces.

He stared intently at them so he didn't have to pay attention to Yami. The other young man had always disturbed him on some level, precisely because his existence made no sense to the brunet. Ignoring him was an easy concept... but impossible to execute.

The carvings danced a little before his eyes as his gaze intensified and for a few seconds understanding started dawning on him. Words and meanings were flooding into the forefront of his mind like a rush of water from an opening dam. Alarmed, Kaiba quickly looked away from the stone and found himself looking directly at the dark version of his rival. The silence of the room was suddenly beyond overwhelming. The air was still charged with energy and it made the CEO's skin crawl. He hated being in the presence of this other young man.

Nothing normal ever followed.

Yami was staring right back. His wine-red orbs burned holes into his rival, though there was no malice or disdain behind it. He just _stared._

It may have seemed like an eternity, but it ended as soon as it came. Yami turned away from Kaiba, looking towards the stones that the other had been staring at but quickly turned his gaze from.

They were alone in the room.

"...You could read it then, couldn't you." Unlike Yugi's voice, Yami's was deep and silken. Assured and smooth. Nothing he truly said was a question, it was a statement. A fact. This was no different. His eyes were trained on the stone tablets.

"Don't be absurd," Kaiba responded stiffly, a faint shadow of a frown possessing his thin lips. The brunet swallowed hard as a small voice in the back of his head whispered.

'_Lies_'. He clenched his cold eyes closed for a second as soon as he turned his back to the only other person in the room. He pushed his thoughts away but his stomach twisted at the action. Denial. Cold. hard denial and he _knew_ it… but he grasped at the hope of normalcy. He wanted nothing to do with anything supernatural.

Kaiba opened his eyes again and searched for something else to put his attention on, but nothing seemed to offer the lure of comfort. Everything in the room should have felt foreign and old, but almost none of it did. That feeling was nagging and making him feel on edge. He wanted to run but it would be a cold day in hell before he was seen noticeably fleeing a situation. It was a bunch of old stones and decayed remnants of a past long dead.

'_Not dead. Just sleeping,_' whispered a thought. The CEO flinched a little and dismissed it as quickly as he could.

"None of this holds any power over me," Kaiba assured himself outloud, though some part of him didn't even believe himself.

"It's just an exhibit, Kaiba." Yami's tone of voice seemed to have a touch of humor to it as he listened to Kaiba's declaration, though it was mocking. "...There's no need to get so excited." He moved past the CEO, but _this_ time, his own shoulder bumped against his brunet rival, the clicking of his slightly heeled shoes echoing over the tiled floor. He moved to another display; a beautiful collection of shimmering jewelry.

Kaiba came crashing back to himself in full when Yami brushed by him. There was a sense of familiarity with the contact. It was a warm and comforting sensation. The effects lasted all of five seconds before the taller youth was able to shrug it off and turn his back to the seemingly taller Yugi. The move struck Kaiba as a little childish, but in this instance he didn't care. He didn't really want to look at Yami to begin with and now he really didn't want to.

He walked as calmly as he could over to the exhibit to the right of the initial one Yami had been standing in front of before. Maybe a little distance from his supernatural bane would help. Feeling a little tired and drained, the brunet walked up to the case. This time he found himself looking at some beyond ancient tools.

Normalcy was slowly returning to him. He could feel the muscles he didn't know were tense loosen. Remembering his assignment now that he could think, Kaiba pulled his bag up towards his chest so he could effectively dig through it for his spiral and pencil. Glad to find it, the taxed duelist glady flipped his notebook open with one hand finding the papers he needed to do his school work. Every second he spent reading over questions and prompts brought him closer and closer to a relaxed state.

Yami stared up at another display, this one a rather massive slab decorated with hieroglyphs and pictures. He ignored Kaiba for now, staring at it in hopes that he could derive some sort of clue, or any kind of information, really. The past was something thousands of years away, but still. His memories, his name always seemed to be on the tip of his tongue.

His mouth parted for a moment.

"Kaiba," Yami called out, as if summoning the CEO. "...Do you believe-"

Something caught Yami attention, off to the left. There was a fluttering of... hair? Fabric? Something. Whatever it was, Yami's attention had been completely captured. The exhibit, as well as Kaiba, had been pushed to the back of his mind. Yami's sharp gaze lingered to where he swore he saw someone move off to. Another student? But...

He started moving. His footsteps started to fade as he moved further from Kaiba, turning the corner past the main displays until he disappeared altogether. Kaiba, however, was writing down a few things for his assignment. He had been electing to ignore Yami at first when the other duelist had started talking to him, but the fact that he had never finished his inquiry suddenly got the CEO's attention. Not a whole lot shut the other youth up.

Kaiba paused in his writing and listened. Other than distant footsteps he was surrounded by a thick silence. Quickly he looked up and glanced around the room. His "partner" had managed to disappear on him. Bristling, the CEO listened carefully for where the footsteps were. Locking in on the sound, the brunet rushed around the corner and down the hall, snatching up his book bag and cramming his notebook back in. He could care less about the Dark Yugi but if a teacher or chaperone came in and found him alone he would get in trouble. In the grand scheme of things he didn't really care what any teacher would have to say, but why get in trouble when he could avoid it? On top of it all he had a clean record. It looked better. All he needed was one teacher having a bad day to bust him disobeying class field trip rules and writing him up.

Back to irritated, the brunet stalked through another archway of the Egyptian exhibit. Maybe it had been intuition or perhaps he had heard something he didn't now recall, but Kaiba had found his dark rival.

Yami glanced back towards Kaiba when he heard him approach, much like last time. The Egyptian section of the exhibit was much larger than it had initially appeared. Yami turned away from Kaiba, glancing about the exhibit. This section was even darker, as photosensitive material was being kept on the premises. The room was so dark, the two barely managed to cast a shadow. Within the room, several open scrolls and documents were on display, many of which showed depictions of several duel monsters.

Yami was silent, though he could hear Yugi speaking to him in his head. '_Did you see it too?' _

Kaiba had something angry and witty on the tip of his tongue the second he found Yami but it died the second his eyes truly took in the dim room he had walked into. It was still part of Egyptian exhibit but it had something to do with Duel Monsters. He had always known the Duel Monsters origin, how could he not? But there was a difference between knowing it and seeing an exhibit on it. He hadn't thought the local museum would have an exhibit like this.

There was a dull thudding against his chest, his own heart beat. There was an energy to this room and almost everything he looked at had a familiarity, and not just from the resemblance of some of the carvings to current day cards. Unlike the room before Kaiba didn't find this familiarity near as alarming. It was almost comforting. Then a heavy thick..feeling...crept over his skin and the wonderment was lost and the discomfort began.

Despite his normal sentiments and beliefs he found himself gravitating towards his fellow duelist. Something was crying out to him but he couldn't put his finger on it. Something wasn't right. The CEO tried to shake the feeling. It was the lightning messing with the overall atmosphere of the room. At least that is what he was choosing to try and convince himself of. Before he could feel the effect of his own assurances, the brunet walked up next to Yami. There was barely any room between the two. Less than an inch over and they would be touching.

The displays showed more than anyone could tell, and Yami was in the same boat his rival was. They stood side-by-side, and before where the two would have instantly made a move to put some distance between them, neither of them budged. There was something about the game, about Duel Monsters, about... his past... that connected the two of them together.

That thinly veiled string of fate...

But another feeling was creeping over Yami's shoulder. One he couldn't shake, and it took him a moment before he realized what it was.

"Kaiba." The CEO's name rolled off his tongue in a gentle wave. "...Can you feel it?

"...Someone is watching us."

As Yami spoke Kaiba's eyes narrowed and he looked carefully around the dimly lit exhibit. The CEO gave it as second before he responded to the other duelist, still searching to put his finger on where he was getting this feeling from. "Yes,"he spoke evenly into the eerie stillness, "I feel it too."

_**SMASH!**_

Feet in front of them, the glass display for a scroll with the Dark Magician inked upon it shattered into a million pieces. The museum's alarms instantly went off. Yami and Kaiba both stepped back as glass scattered across the floor, sliding around their feet as it dashed across the tile floor. The alarm's ringing increasingly grew louder. Yami winced, hands flying up to his ears to keep the piercing noise out. The destruction didn't stop there. To the right, another glass case imploded on itself, shards trickling down its display. Two more cases followed suit, crushing and spitting out glass shards.. The siren's noise only increased.

Just beside Kaiba, a piece of parchment that showed the Blue-Eyes White Dragon flickered in its case. The two duelists looked to it just in time to see the glass shatter in thousands of sharp slivers. The parchment instantly flew out, shooting past the two and to the ground. Kaiba's arm shot up, guarding his face from the glass that seared past.

The first scroll, the Dark Magician, fell out of its case. The Blue-Eyes parchment landed among the field of glass, easily catching the Dark Magician as it fluttered to the ground, and the two sat there, unmoving.

There was yelling over the alarms. The sound of footsteps from the museum security guards filled their air, though they were drowned out by the screeching wail of the sirens.

Kaiba instinctively stepped between Yami and the noises indicating the incoming security guards. The vaguest hints of panic filtered through his mind as he took in all the destruction. He didn't know how they were going to explain this. "I'm sorry but everything magically exploded and broke" just didn't seem like something that would fly with security.

Then again this was a museum which meant security systems and good ones. At least he hoped that would be the case. Before the security guards burst into the room the taller student noticed a few different cameras right there in the room. At least two of them should have had visual of them both at the the time everything went crazy. So in all this crazy chaos they had one bit of luck. There was no way they could get blamed for it.

The guards that Kaiba guessed had been closest came rushing through the archway they had entered from. Yami's own eyes were trained to the floor, looking around at the destruction that surrounded the two, shoes crunching against the layer of glass that covered the floor, glittering like the Egyptian sands under the beaming sun. There were three guards, and they all seemed to gape, surveying the destruction before the lead turned to Kaiba and Yami, looking as if he was about to tell them off-until, of course, he saw exactly who it was.

"Yugi Mutou!" The guard let out in awe, and Yami's bright eyes lifted from the damage to meet the guard. By then, however, the older man's attention had turned to the taller, more imposing figure who stood in between him and the reigning Duel Monsters champion. "K-Kaiba Seto!" There was always some kind of '_Oh, shit'_ factor to the CEO's name, and all the guards seemed to stand to attention at his presence.

Seto Kaiba only gave the guards a long cold stares before he tore his eyes away from them and started really looking around at the destruction for the first since time since it all started. A frown darkened his somewhat pale features as he took it all in now that the debris had truly settled. The CEO lingered on the destruction briefly and then turned back to the guards.

With a nod of his head he indicated the security system. "I want a copy of the footage from this sent to me immediately," Kaiba commanded quietly to the security guards. He had no interest in the museum exactly, though some part of him did want to understand what the hell had just happened. No, his true reason for demanding the footage was protection. He didn't need someone twisting this incident against him. With his own copy of the footage he could protect himself. A little security.

The more senior of the security guards, a man that looked to be in his late forties with light thinning hair, seemed to be fighting internally with himself. Indecision plagued his lightly aged features. "That isn't exactly museum policy," the man finally said, barely at regular speech volume. He was fighting to maintain composure in the face of the CEO, and the CEO almost wanted to commend the man's courage. Almost. In the end the man was attempting to stand between him and what he wanted.

After releasing a long breath Kaiba turned from the older gentlemen. "What is your name?" he finally asked as casually as he could, as if he was bored with the whole situation already. Yami caught the faint, threatening tone that Kaiba held to his voice, but he made no move to interrupt, given the situation.

The older gentlemen shifted slightly. Along with Yami, he was smart enough to pick up on the idle threat hidden in Kaiba's innocent sounding question. "I will talk to my supervisor immediately," the lead security guard answered with just a little too much haste. Kaiba smirked. So much for that lion heart.

Quickly the man fled the room after giving brief nods and instruction to his fellow guardsmen, his dignity more or less intact given the fact that he had dared to stand up to a person that never liked to be blocked by anyone no matter the circumstance. What Kaiba wanted he got.

Now under instructions from their more experienced counterpart, the younger two security guards began pacing the room, careful not to disturb the scene. They began by poking around the cases trying to determine if anything was missing. As they began working Kaiba watched at first, though his interest, like with most things, didn't last long. The brunet gave Yami a sidelong glance. Only around this Other Yugi would anything like this happen. Yami returned the look with a sideways glance of his own.

Ready to be done with the whole thing, the taller duelist turned to leave the room. Yami watched him for a moment, remaining in place as the CEO started to head off.

'_What do you think happened?' _Yugi's voice rang out from inside Yami's head. The darker version of the duelist glanced back, watching as the guards bent down, pointing towards the scrolls that had fallen out from their cases. '_There's no way something like this could have been an accident!'_

Yami was thinking along the same lines. He glanced back to where Kaiba was just about to head out of the exhibit, before looking back towards the mess. Among the wreckage, a single display remained untouched: a gorgeous stand of a Pharaoh's double crown. It shimmered in the light created by the dim display beams and the shattered glass. Yami turned slightly to it. For some reason, it...

There was a loud _crack; _the remaining guards both looked up quickly towards the last display, and Yami's wine-red eyes seemed to be caught on the crown, wide like a deer in headlights. Kaiba, almost clear of the room, whirled around to face the source of the sound, his own icy eyes narrowing as his fight response kicked into high gear. A large, seering crack tore across the front of the glass of the tall display. Kaiba found himself surging forward towards Yugi's literal other half as the display shattered, glass flying through the air. The guards both screamed as glass sliced across their faces and clothing; Yami's arms flew up to shield his face just as Kaiba reached him from behind, the CEO's arm lifting to shield his own.

The crown in the display rattled before clattering to the ground, right before Yami's feet. The small duelist lowered his arms, expression incredulous. He took several steps back, almost colliding with the taller youth.

The crown then mimicked the display.

In one go, a large crack tore across the middle of the crown, before it severed into two clean pieces before the two duelist's eyes. Kaiba's muscles tensed. The crown remained important to him for a fleeting second before he couldn't help but look to Yami. Just as quickly as the concern had appeared it died. He had never cared what happened to his rival. There was no need to start now. Before the shorter youth could notice, Kaiba turned his back to him.

"Yugi!" Anzu's voice shrilled out from somewhere not too far from Kaiba. Trailing behind her were Jou and Honda. The brunette didn't spare Kaiba a second look as she moved past him and towards the duelist who was still staring down at the now ruined double crown, the wailing of guards filling the air along with the alarms. Jou and Honda glanced at Kaiba as they made their way past him, following behind Anzu. "Yugi, are you okay?!"

"Anzu." Yami's voice was nothing to mistake Yugi's for, and Anzu seemed to halt in her tracks just before she reached him. Yami glanced over to Kaiba first, before his gaze returned to his three friends. "...I'm fine."

Anzu nodded a few times, but her expression was still filled with worry. "We heard the sirens go off in the Asian Arts exhibit...! When we heard the guard talking about the alarms in the Egyptian Exhibit..."

Jou walked up next, slamming a hand down on Yami's shoulder. "We knew it was you! But you're okay, so everything's good yeah?"

Yami offered the faintest hint of a smile towards his blond friend. "...Hopefully." But if he had to ask himself, something was oddly suspicious about the whole thing. Jou continued chatting Yami up, but the duelist's gaze long left the brown eyes of his friend and drifted towards Kaiba.

He wanted to see that tape, too.

Slowly Kaiba made his way over to the archway leading into this particular part of the exhibit. More museum staff rushed by and one finally stopped upon seeing a handful of school students still in the no disaster zone. "Please accompany me to the lobby," she stated calmly. Her voice was even and soothing but Kaiba could see by the amount of stress she was under that the staff member was more than a little anxious.

Any normal person probably would have acknowledged her and then followed. Instead, Kaiba stepped around her like someone had thrown an obstacle to be dodged in his way. The woman started slightly and side stepped to try and clear the way, though she wasn't fast enough.

Once at the door the dark eyed CEO looked back over his shoulder at his field trip partner. "If you're done gawking I would like to get back to our classmates. If I show up without you I'll get an earful from the teachers. I have enough of a headache for one day so _please_ just spare me the hassle and come along," the taller partner seemingly requested. The CEO might have said 'please' but his tone betrayed him. It was one of power, irritation, and a little exhaustion. In the end, his tone accompanied by his body language told the others who were paying attention that his request was a demand. He didn't want to be kept waiting.

The museum attendant simply stood there part way between Kaiba and the small group of friends, intimidation showing strongly in her stance and facial features. Her pink-colored lips parted briefly as if she were about to speak before she closed her mouth and looked hesitantly at Kaiba. As far as she could tell she didn't exist in the eyes of this young man and nothing she said would reach his ears. In the end she could only stand by like some statue on display in the mesum.

Yami's eyes narrowed, and when he spoke his strong voice rang out around the exhibit.

"_You_ can _wait_, Kaiba," Yami instantly rebutted, and the duelist turned his back to him, effectively letting the CEO know without words that anything else he said from this point on would fall on deaf ears.

The brunet's lips thinned, his eyes darkened, and his brows furrowed ever so slightly in anger. Anzu looked fretfully between Yami, the lady attendant, and Kaiba, unsure of what to do or what would ignite from Yami's dismissive comment.

...Maybe if Kaiba had added that 'please' in earnest he wouldn't have been met with such contempt.

"Ah, if you could..." The female staff member tried again, but Jou already began to talk over her, looking around and surveying the damage of the area. Honda accompanied him, looking around. Of course, they didn't have much to worry about as they were always getting into trouble anyway. Anzu remained firmly planted beside Yami. Yami, on the other hand, bent down to take a closer look at the crown, though he didn't touch it.

There was silence, the alarms having finally been turned off just a few moments before.

'_Yami,' _Yugi's voice spoke out. '_Lets get out of here.'_

"...Hm..." Yami didn't really respond. However, he did finally stand. A part of him wanted to see if he noticed anything about how the crown had split in half. He felt some kind of strange presence but it seemed to have vanished. Another part of him was just defiant and wanted to cause Kaiba some grief. He never said he wasn't a little petty when it came to his rival. He looked towards Anzu, who was looking down at the crown as well, and the taller girl tilted her head to him as he spoke. "Lets go." he looked out towards the exhibit floor. "Jou. Honda."

"Right away, Yug!" Normally Jou would have switched over to Yami's name by now, but during school hours and around so many unfamiliar people, it probably wasn't the best idea. Yami nodded his head, before heading towards the archway, and Kaiba. His wine-red eyes glanced up towards the much taller male with a hint of a smirk, but he said nothing. Kaiba's icy eyes widened as he made eye contact with Yugi's darker half. He did not tend to make eye contact with the other young man, and whenever it happened it left him more than just a little surprised or off balanced.

Before the other duelist could see what effect he had on him, Kaiba turned abruptly and fled the room in a way that most people would not recognize as a retreat. He cleared the archway after only a handful of steps and disappeared from sight, the gentle sounds of his footfalls drowned out by the many others that filled this section of the museum.

* * *

Thank you for reading Chapter One: Warning Signs.

This is our very first collaborative story together.

**Questions or Comments? Feel free to drop us a line via PM or review. We'd love to hear from you!**

Regards,

The Priest and His Pharaoh


	2. Blackout

**The Road to Paradise**

**Rated: **T

* * *

_The Priest:_ Before we begin, a quick shout out to Hanako. Thanks for your thoughts on chapter one.

For all our readers, thank you for reading and continuing on to chapter 2. We hope you enjoy this as much as we enjoyed writing it.

* * *

_Chapter Two: _Blackout

It wasn't often that Yami found himself out-and-about in Yugi's body when Duel Monsters wasn't in the equation, but today was one of those days. In fact, it had been Yami who had asked to come out, instead of just appearing when his better half had been in a pinch.

The field trip to the Domino City History Museum had ended on an eventful note, and while the rest of the day had gone by smoothly, Yami still had found himself thinking about the incident, playing it over again in his head.

What had caused all of that destruction? It had been only he and Kaiba in that room... or rather, that was what it looked like. He had sworn he had seen someone pass through before he made his way to the greater part of the exhibit, but in the end he had never found them. Perhaps it had been his imagination... or his intuition personified. After all, how else could he have explained what happened in that museum?

Normally, Yugi would have convinced him to let it go. Everything had happened so fast that there was little to no evidence left behind, but Yami did clearly remember one thing: Kaiba had asked for a copy of the security footage.

It was that which had the smaller duelist seeking out his taller counterpart.

'_Do you think Kaiba-kun will even agree to let you see the footage?' _Yugi's voice inquired as Yami headed up the stairs towards the roof of the school. It was lunchtime, and while the group had retreated into a corner of the classroom to chat, gossip, and play Duel Monsters, Yami had quickly excused himself in hopes of locating Kaiba, who had escaped the room earlier.

"I won't know until I ask," Yami responded outloud. There was no one in the quiet halls to hear him. He finally made it to the roof of the school, and Yami stared at the doorway blankly for a moment before pushing it open, peeking outside in an attempt to find Kaiba.

At first glance the rooftop appeared empty. Yami stepped out into the bright sunlight and warm afternoon air, the door clicking shut behind him. Here was to hoping he had reasoned out the right place to find his reincarnated priest.

A cool autumn breeze danced past Yami, kissing his delicately tanned skin. He glanced around, fiery eyes taking in every detail in an effort not to overlook the one he sought.

The roof was a rather plain-looking location, holding no hint of excitement nor decor. Pale cement blocks formed the ground and the sides of a few small planters meant to give the location a touch of life. Along the edge of the roof a tall chain link fence reached up high enough that it would be more than a small chore to clear it which had probably been done on purpose.

Certain he wasn't overlooking Kaiba, Yami approached the fence, walking alongside it. The roof wasn't too large of a place but it was big enough that the pharaoh had decided to be systematic to his search. Enjoying the time out, Yami took in a deep breath, smelling and tasting the changing weather. If his intuition was right there wasn't going to be very many warm days left, though he wasn't exactly sure how he knew that.

At about the halfway mark down the roof top, Yami started to sense the presence of another and the feeling he got was unmistakable. He had found Kaiba. Quiet as a spirit, the Game King approached one of the structures that dotted the roof. He made his way around it, and at the far corner he leaned around to confirm his suspicion.

Kaiba, with his dark-blue school jacket wide open and the top two buttons of his white shirt undone, sat with his long legs out in front of him, his back up against the pale wall. Next to him sat his unbuckled book bag and lunch. Despite being far wealthier than any other student in attendance at Domino High, Kaiba had elected to bring his lunch in a plain paper bag. A bag of crackers lay open within in reach next to the lunch bag and on on Kaiba's leg, tucked neatly into a small clear bag, sat a simple sandwich, untouched.

In his hands the reincarnated priest held the same weathered book he had read the whole way to the museum the day before. His dark eyes were fixed on the pages though Yami was certain the taller youth had sensed his presence long before he had reached the corner. The brunet remained silent and unmoving as he ignored the other duelist, his hair rustling softly in the breeze.

Yami had a strong feeling that Kaiba was electing to ignore him, and a part of him didn't blame the other duelist, considering the snide remark he had handed over to the CEO the day before at their field trip. Yugi had taken over quickly after in an effort to keep the peace between them on the bus ride back to school, and it was perhaps for the best. Kaiba didn't really talk to Yugi, despite the small boy's best efforts. Yami's eyes remained on his rival, still several feet back, silence prevailing.

Kaiba flipped a page.

_He isn't moving. _Kaiba's cobalt eyes were still locked on his book, and he could sense the looming presence of his rival as Yami stood over him. He thought perhaps the shorter man would take a hint and be off, but that wasn't the case. Instead, Yami's eyes continued to bore holes into his skull. Uncomfortable wasn't the word, but there was something that made him want to shift in place. Instead of giving Yami the pleasure, his eyes finally lifted up to the former Pharaoh instead, making sure his expression was no less than exasperate. "_Yes?"_

"Kaiba," Yami affirmed, now that the CEO had finally spared him a glance. No turning back now. "We need to talk."

Kaiba's eyes flashed with the statement and a cruel smirk spread over his thin lips. "Talk? What are we, dating now?" His eyes returned to his book. "Listen, don't let the museum give you the wrong idea. Remember, I didn't choose your pint-sized other half as my partner. It wasn't a date."

"I don't see what dating has to do with any of this," Yami instantly replied, Kaiba's comment going right over his head. "You have something I want."

The CEO rolled his eyes. For the most part Yami came across as more intelligent than any of Yugi's little unwitting lackeys, not that the young duelist would ever call them lackeys, but he seemed utterly oblivious at times.

After ignoring the statement for a few silent, still moments, Kaiba finally sighed and tore his intense gaze back away from his book. "If you're after a date," Kaiba sneered keeping his joke going from earlier, "Why don't you go ask that air-headed bitch thats always squawking on about friendship?"

"_Kaiba!"_ Yami snapped at him, and the Pharaoh bristled, though he made no move to act upon how furious his voice sounded. "Keep Anzu out of this. This is between you and I." Yami spared the book a brief glance before swatting it out of Kaiba's hand. The book hit the ground close to the CEO's knee. The brunet's smirk vanished in a dark flash and his amusement turned to anger, though his expression might have only looked a little tense to someone who knew him less.

'_Yami!' _Yugi let out inside of his head, but the Pharaoh was quick to step far closer, until the toe of his shoe was between Kaiba's outstretched legs. Placing his hands on his hips, Yami bent down, the Sennen Puzzle swinging in front of Kaiba's face until Yami was able to lower his own fully, flaming wine-red eyes locking with Kaiba's arctic, subzero blue.

"...Besides," Yami finally added, almost as if it was just a mere afterthought, "If I was looking for any sort of company, I wouldn't be hard-pressed to find someone more engaging than yourself." And a light smirk flickered on the corners of Yami's lips. At the smirk Kaiba's own eyes widened and then narrowed all over again. "Now.

"Can we talk?"

A noticeable sneer crossed the CEO's fine features before he managed to get out a single terse sentence. He leaned further back against the wall trying to put a little distance between him and smaller youth, not that there was anywhere for him to go. In a sense he was pinned in place. "What do you want?"

"At the museum yesterday," And Yami's head and torso lifted, standing fully but with his hands still at his hips, staring down at Kaiba. "You asked the guards for a copy of the video footage of the incident. Did you get it?"

Shoulders relaxing, Kaiba looked away from the duelist standing above him. It was an awkward angle and even more of an awkward position to be in. He took a few breaths to recompose himself, wiping the obvious anger and tension from his face. Pulled back together, Seto tilted his head so that his cold eyes made contact with Yami's fiery ones from under his bangs, giving him an even darker look than normal.

"Of course I did," he answered evenly, his cruel smirk returning like the tense moment had never happened, "Though I don't know why that is any concern of yours."

Yami's brows furrowed. "I'd say don't play dumb, Kaiba, but it seems to be a game you're winning and I wouldn't want to end your undefeated streak."

Anger returned like a heated wave to Seto. He immediately rose and grabbed Yami by the collar of his school uniform, spinning the smaller man around and slamming him into the wall. Yami's back crashed into the unforgiving stone, eyes wide as he stared back at his rival, fingertips scratching against the surface as he braced himself. Kaiba leaned in close, his sneer coming back with a vengeance,muscles were taut, blood boiling, heart pounding in his chest.

If this freak wanted a fight he was going to get one.

Yami's own eyes saw the flame between them, spitting wildly in the heat of the moment, and they narrowed in response.

"...Hit me," Yami stated firmly, and for a moment there was a golden gleam that flickered in between the two, his blond bangs fluttering around his eyes which were just as alight as Kaiba's. "...If that's what you really want. Though I'm afraid to warn you it won't make you any more of a man."

Kaiba's free hand came flying up to better grasp Yami by the collar. Letting out a fierce cry that echoed over the rooftop, Seto slammed Yami back into the wall once more, though not as hard as he could of. Yami let out a noise as he hit the wall a second time, body cringing as his eyes clenched shut.

Still in rage, Kaiba staggered back, his own anger making him tremble. How was it that Yami could get under his skin unlike anyone else he had ever met? There were no low points between them. Only extremes, though normally he fought to keep his mood better under control. His breath falling tense and slightly ragged Kaiba finally spoke. "I have the footage but I don't intend on sharing it with _you." _The brunet spat the last word with as much venom as he could. He couldn't stand being sent to extremes like this.

This wasn't going how Yami wanted it to, but something about Kaiba always put him on the defensive. Seeing the usually calm CEO rattled, however, was a good ego booster for Yami, and even though he had just been slammed into the wall a few times in a show of Kaiba's physical strength over him, the duelist couldn't help but feel a sense of pleasure wash over him. What kind, though, he could think about later.

"And why not?" Yami asked him hotly, back still against the wall. "Are you intending on figuring out what happened on your own? I thought _Kaiba Seto_ wasn't into this 'hocus pocus', or has there been a change of heart?"

"That," Kaiba said turning away, calm creeping back into his demeanor, "Has not changed. Surely you realize I would have reasons of my own for needing that footage. What happened at the museum is none of my concern."

"And it's _all _of mine," Yami countered. As Kaiba turned away, he decided it was safe and pulled away from the wall. "You were there and I was as well. Even if you don't want to admit it, you _know _something strange happened. I felt it. And whether you want to get involved or not, I'm going to get the bottom of this. And for that, I _need _to see that surveillance tape, Kaiba."

"Then go back to the museum and beg for your own copy," Kaiba returned flatly as he looked out into the distance.

Yami's expression shifted for a moment, considering how to continue the conversation... but in the end he was being met with far too much resistance. He might actually _have _a better chance of obtaining his own copy from the museum at this rate. Yami stared at the CEO's back for a moment longer, but his gaze dropped, looking out towards the fence that surrounded the rooftop.

"All right," Yami stated, and his tone was far too at ease, too simple.

The brunet turned to glance back at his rival. This wasn't right. Yami had dropped the fight, and the normal tone he held seemed to vanish into smoke.

The spirit of the Sennen Puzzle dusted off one of his shoulders, before he began walking past Kaiba and to the rooftop exit. "I'll do that then. I apologize, for taking up your time."

'_Yami,' _Yugi began in the back of his mind, but Yami ignored him as he headed off the roof. He was becoming lost in his thoughts. Somehow, he would have to find a way to see the footage.

...But how?

* * *

The hour was late and all the lights in the Kaiba house were long since turned off save for a few lingering beacons that cut into the dark. One of these was a small lamp sitting atop a large wooden desk that was anything but plain but far from ornate. It had a smooth polished surface that lightly gleamed in the lamp light.

The room was a large open bedroom with a hefty king-sized bed with simple accenting to add character and depth to the piece. Overall the other furniture, a dresser, two end tables, a few bookcases, and a couple of different chairs were simple but well-crafted piecesl giving the room an air of wealth without being overwhelming. At the desk sat Kaiba, quietly typing away at one of his home computers.

He rhythmically struck the keys as he worked on a new program he had been toying with. He had fancied the idea at first but the longer he worked on it the less he liked it. Some parts of the concept had promise but his current approach wasn't getting him to where he needed to be. Frustrated, and finally tired of working, he reached up to his monitor and tapped twice on the save icon, the room falling silent as his keystrokes died.

With a sigh he leaned back in his dark leather bound chair and stared at the bright screen. The CEO's thoughts drifted from programming to other things. Eventually they drifted to the museum and finally to his encounter with Yugi's mystical other half on the school rooftop earlier that day...Kaiba turned and glanced at the clock by his bedside...yesterday.

Curiosity burned at the edges of his mind. What happened at the museum had, when put mildly, been odd. Yami no doubt thought something mystical had been at work. The CEO believed otherwise. He was certain if he just took a look at the video footage from that day he could figure out a logical explanation.

He looked to his clock again and his luscious bed beckoned him. He needed sleep, but...the curiosity lingered and it cried for his attention, plaguing his waking consciousness. Against the burnet's better judgement he reached for his desk drawer and pulled out a small memory stick he had tucked away. He deftly clicked the memory unit into place and reached back up to his wide screen, tapping on the icon to pull up the files he had just made accessible.

Within seconds he pulled up the file of the museum footage. After he opened the file he brought his hand up to his screen to hit the play button but hesitated, his long fingers curling back and away from the screen. Something in the back of his mind was screaming that he didn't want to watch this. Ignoring his own warning he quickly hit the play icon and the footage began.

* * *

Students stood all about the halls of Domino high. Mostly they were clumped together in small groups talking amongst themselves. Some were full of energy while other looked ready to crawl back into bed and sleep for another few hours. The complete truth was that Kaiba was one of the latter. He wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed seeing as he hadn't slept too well the night before, though he didn't let it show in any way.

The CEO strode confidently and alertly down the hallway like he owned the place. Students jumped out of the way, almost falling over themselves as tried not to get in his path.

Quickly Kaiba approached his classroom and wasted no time entering the student-infested room. A slightly younger girl that he had known had taken a liking to him smiled as he approached her but soon after gained a wounded look as he failed to take notice of her greeting. He had noticed, but he had ignored it much like he did with everything any other classmate did. He wanted nothing to do with anyone there and they should have learned that by now. If they hadn't put that together then it was their own fault when they ended up hurt by his inattention.

There ahead of him sat the tiny little duelist he sought, surrounded by his small entourage of friends. Like the girl he had just passed Kaiba elected to ignore their existence and walked directly up to Yugi, towering over the small youth sitting in the desk. "Yami, _now_," he demanded, his eyes dark and focused on his true rival's "normal" self.

There was a confused look on Yugi's face for a moment, his violet eyes looking over Kaiba's serious expression. "What?" He had heard him, but... _Kaiba? _Asking for Yami? _Acknowledging _his separate existence?

The CEO impatiently crossed his arms over his chest, his expression growing dimmer to reflect his souring mood that just kept getting worse the longer he was kept waiting.

"_Hold it,_ no way, Yug! Don't let this bastard boss you around!" Jou cried out, jumping up from his seat in front of Yugi. His stance betrayed his desire to do nothing more than let Kaiba have it.

"Shut up, Katsuya," Kaiba snapped, not holding an ounce of his dislike did, however, choose his words a bit more carefully than he normally would so as not to turn Yami against his order. "I have no interest in dealing with a dog like you." The CEO followed the statement up with a deadly look towards the blond, before shifting back to Yugi.

"_Yami_, now," the tall duelist repeated, more harshly than he had the first time.

"It's okay, Jonouchi-kun," Yugi stated, and he offered Kaiba a pleasant smile before rising to his feet. "I'll go with you, Kaiba-kun."

"Yugi," Anzu persisted, but Yugi shook his head.

"I'll be fine," The small duelist consoled, and with a wink to his friends, he moved around his desk to follow the CEO. "Lead the way, Kaiba-kun."

Getting what he wanted, Kaiba spun on his heel gracefully and left the room at a ground-eating pace for a walk. He walked on in silence to the stairs and they headed up them towards the roof for privacy.

Once at the top of the stairs he shouldered the door open and headed to the left towards the spot he usually took his lunch. Only after he was satisfied they had enough privacy he turned back around and watched as Yugi came running up behind him. "Yami," he repeated his voice a little less sour than it had been before now that the others weren't present. After stating his demand for the final time Kaiba turned away from Yugi not wanting to see the change. Instead he fixed his gaze out over the school grounds. Below them students were still making their way inside for the day's classes.

Yugi watched as Kaiba turned around. He reached down, his hand grasping a hold of the Sennen Puzzle. There was a golden shine that glittered off of the walls and fence. There was a short period in which Yugi transformed in a sense to Yami, and while people at first couldn't tell, there were subtle differences that set apart one from the other, even in looks.

Yami was suddenly beside Kaiba, his footsteps quiet. He now stood beside the taller duelist, gazing out into the distance.

"You rang?" Yami inquired.

Kaiba felt exhausted... and now he _looked_ exhausted. With only one witness, his subconscious had dropped his defenses, and now his current condition lay naked before the Game King. Still trying to keep up his facade, the CEO gave Yami a short look before taking a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handing it to Yugi's other half.

"If you want it, that's your one chance," Kaiba uttered. After the other duelist took the note, Kaiba stepped away from him and up to the chain link fence. In a way he was dismissing Yami, but he wasn't forcing the issue. Partly because he figured it didn't need to be said. The other reason being he knew if Yami didn't want to go he wasn't going to. The shorter youth was really almost as bad as Kaiba. What he wanted, he almost always got. Chances were after the CEO had the red-eyed youth all the way out here he wasn't going to go anywhere.

Yami spared a glance to the brunet before he unfolded the paper, looking down at it.

On it, in Kaiba's clean writing, was an address and a time. While Yami didn't know Kaiba's address by heart, he _did _realize that this was the CEO's. And the time...

'_He's going to let us see the tape!' _Yugi exclaimed, and Yami's eyes practically lit up.

"Kaiba..." He let out, unsure of what to say to show his appreciation.

Kaiba closed his eyes and tilted his head down as if warding off the thank you. This whole situation wasn't normal for him. In a way he was asking for help and he didn't want to say it. What little he had watched of the footage had unsettled him, and from what he saw he had no logical explanation at his fingertips. Perhaps he had just been too tired when he had first attempted to watch the recording and maybe the second try would be what he needed. In fact the CEO had now convinced himself of this. He would open the file, watch it through without a problem, and see a perfectly logical explanation. Just...it was too late now. The invitation had been given. Yami would show up whether the taller youth rescinded the invitation or not.

"I'll be there," Yami finalized, and he refolded the paper easily with one hand, tucking it into his breast pocket. "Ten o' clock." Though he would probably have to find a way to sneak out... he wasn't too sure that he could convince anyone he was just making a joy-trip out to see his rival. Yeah, not even Yami could believe that one. He had a feeling Kaiba was just making this as inconvenient as possible, but it wouldn't stop him.

Yami said nothing more. He turned away from the CEO and started heading off of the roof and into the school building.

* * *

The stars had been clouded over when Yami left but now they were inked out by midnight storm clouds darker than any that had formed in quite sometime. The spirit of the puzzle had no idea that a storm was coming that afternoon when he had accepted the invitation to Kaiba's manor, but he had already said he would be there. A bus ride and walk to Kaiba's location was all it took, but by the time he had reached the manor, Yami was already freezing cold.

He buzzed at the gate and was promptly let inside. When he got to the porch, Yami thought his fingers were going to freeze off. He was wearing a black turtleneck, deep wine-red vest, black pants and sleek black shoes, and while it was warm, it wasn't made for the weather he was now facing. He rang Kaiba's doorbell. Yami put his hands together, rubbing in an attempt to warm his slender fingers.

It was 9:58pm.

It took less than a minute before one of the tall double doors in front of Yami cracked open. An older gentlemen clearly well past his mid years stood framed in the lowlight of the manor house. He was dressed in a clean dark suit that was tailored to perfection. His short gray hair was smoothed back over his head giving his face a well defined presence. His stark features were somehow gentle and calm. "Can I help you?" he asked in a warm aged voice.

"I'm here to see Kaiba." That... sounded strange, and for a moment Yami was trying to figure out why he suddenly started flustering- "I-Is he here?" Wait, no, of course he is here! "...He invited me over." Okay, now he was just rambling. "My name's Yami." He ended finally, tone flat.

Skeptically the butler looked down at Yami and took in his appearance in full. He pitied the youth for being out in this weather, for it was anything but kind and getting worse by the minute, but he couldn't let just anyone inside. One of the reasons that made him reluctant to accept the answer was the fact that the master of the home, Kaiba Seto, rarely ever had visitors over.

The butler was about to turn Yami away with an apology when the sound of hurried footsteps came up behind him. Calmy the man turned to look back and then stepped gracefully out of the way as Mokuba stepped around the cracked door. "Yami," the young boy greeted warmly almost calling the young man Yugi at first, but after getting a good look he realized that it was in fact the darker counterpart that was standing at the door. "He's fine, Seto is expecting him," the dark-haired younger brother of Kaiba explained to the butler as he gestured for Yami to enter the home.

"Thank Ra," Yami let out, stepping into the warm manor just as a low roll of thunder hummed from the dark sky. He thanked the butler before looking to Mokuba, and he offered the younger Kaiba a small, but genuine smile. "Thank you."

Mokuba gave Yami another warm smile as he gave a quick half bow of gratitude to the older man in the entry way with them. The entryway was richly embellished but not to the point of being garish or overdone. Everything about it was elegant and tasteful. The floors gleamed in the low light that had been left on just in case anyone needed to pass through this section of the house.

The young brother signaled for Yami to follow him as he informed the butler that he would personally escort their guest to his brother. The entryway stretched further back into darkness to various other parts of the house but Mokuba didn't head in that direction. Instead he went to the right and lead Yami up a pair of wide ornate stairs carpeted in a deep red down the center, the fine marble exposed on either side of the stairwell. The stairwell was one of a twin set. The particular set that Mokuba chose to use stretched up and to the right from the entryway. Kaiba's house was certainly _grand_, and Yami looked around as Mokuba led him, taking everything in.

Up onto the second floor landing Mokuba led the first time guest through the manor. The landing was still very much just like the main hall, just not as wide and it lacked the same high ceiling. Once again the younger boy didn't take one of the dark hallways. He turned to his right and doubled back onto a stairwell that lead one more floor up, walls running on either side of the stairway hiding it from the view of the main hall.

'_I feel like we're going through some kind of labyrinth!' _ Was Yugi's comment as Yami and Mokuba made their way through the manor. Yami was certainly inclined to agree.

This second set of stairs was gently illuminated by low glowing lights along the baseboards. Once on the third floor landing it was clear this space was meant more for just living and not entertaining important guests or for making lavish impressions. It was still well decorated and spoke to some level of wealth but it was far less extreme in comparison to the glimpses of the previous two floors. It was also more closed off. More private feeling.

"My brother's room is down this way," the smaller youth explained in an attempt to make idle chatter. Outside the winds picked up and the sound of pattering rain began to sound through the incredibly empty estate.

"It's a good thing you were here, Mokuba," Yami stated, his red eyes looking to-and-fro. "...I doubt many people could navigate this house." And get out alive. The rain hitting the windows of the estate didn't help things. He felt as if he was inside some kind of mystery manor. Yami didn't exactly have the _best memories _of this place, all things considered. He just got here, but he was already contemplating how he would return home. Maybe he could somehow talk Kaiba into getting him a ride back...

Getting close to the end of the hall the dark haired brother picked up the pace as he ran ahead to announce Yami's arrival. He ran up to a door that was looming up at the very dead end of the hallway. He knocked on the large dark wood door a few times before reaching for the pale gold handle and pushing it open, the door hinges remaining dead silent despite the obvious mass of the door. "Seto", Mokuba announced into the room, "Yami's here."

The younger boy turned and stepped out of the way granting Yami entrance to Kaiba's personal room. Almost as soon as the spirit walked into the room with a curious glance, Kaiba came out of a tall narrow door just to the left of his main door. "Show him to..." the CEO started until he found himself face to face with Yami.

Kaiba was dressed in a dark casual button down shirt and a pair of dark gray sweatpants that sat dangerously loose on his well formed hips. His shirt was completely unbuttoned revealing his delicately toned body. It was slender but well defined, clearly in good shape. Yami paused in the middle of... whatever he had been doing. He had forgotten, and currently his attention was on his half-dressed rival.

At first the taller young man's features had been relatively relaxed but upon sight of Yami they hardened, a slight frown forming over his pale lips. "Mokuba", he stated darkly into the pressing silence.

Before his older brother could say anything else Mokuba piped up, "Sorry big brother, guess I wasn't thinking." He let out a nervous laugh before continuing, "Well I guess you two have some sort of business to discuss so I'll be getting out of the way now." That said the youngest Kaiba brother hurried out of the room and disappeared into the dark third floor hallway. Yami didn't blame him. If there was a way to make a hasty exit, take it. Too bad he didn't have the same luxury.

This was not what Kaiba had intended on happening but here he was. Anything but fully dressed with his biggest rival standing in his bedroom. Yami's gaze slid back from where Mokuba had run off and to the brunet, and there was no doubt; Yami was indeed checking Kaiba out, a slow cruise up the CEO's body.

'_Yami?' _Yugi let out from somewhere in the depths of the Pharaoh's mind. There was silence from the darker half, and Yugi called out to him again. '_Yami!'_

'_Hm?_' Yami wasn't paying any attention.

'_Yami, are you looking at Kaiba-kun? Because his face is a little... __**higher**_ _than that.'_

And Yami's eyes snapped up to Kaiba's face from where they had been contemplating the CEO's navel.

Before Kaiba could say anything, Yami's gaze pulled to the side, and the barest hint of a pink hue could be seen ghosting across his features. "...Sorry," He managed, though it was obvious Mokuba just kind of _led him _in the room. Wow, the floor was interesting. "...I'll wait outside." Yes, retreating sounded good, and Yami did just that, backing the hell out of the room until he had closed Kaiba's door shut firmly. Good thing too. The red had completely taken over his face.

From inside the room came the sound of sliding doors and then the gentle scrape a drawer being opened. Outside the wind sounded into a roaring rush before dropping intensely and then growing back up to its previous whine, all the while the rain coming down in a constant patter that pounded out a constant rhythm on the manor's windows.

Just over a minute later Kaiba emerged from his room quickly drawing his bedroom door closed behind him. He had buttoned up his dark shirt and changed into less informal pants though they were still closer to being relaxwear than his normal pants of choice. The darkness of his clothes helped him to almost fade into the shadows of his home and it matched the veiled irritation in his pale features. Yami glanced up just as the CEO came out; he had managed to tame the red that had taken over his face earlier.

"This way," Kaiba said in a low voice before walking down the hall a short way and up to a door a little smaller than his bedroom door had been. Yami nodded, following. The brunet shouldered it open without ceremony and entered the dark space, reaching for the light switch upon entry. There was a soft click and a dim light popped on illuminating the room just enough to make everything fully visible and a little less forbidding. Kaiba had lead Yami to a small home office.

There was a large imposing desk along the lefthand wall that was more than spacious despite the fact that there were multiple screens set up along it. Along the wall in front of it there were a few larger mounted ones. Overall the room was small and occupied by little else other than the pile of tech surrounding the desk. On the right hand wall there were a few filing cabinets and a large bookcase that didn't seem to hold any leisure books. There was one window along the far wall from the door and it was covered by a heavy dark curtain that would, during the day, block out all the sunlight. Right now it served little purpose other than the fact it actually muted the sounds of the growing storm outside, though the window pane shook a little as it was buffeted by a strong gust of wind.

Not bothering to fully invite Yami in, the CEO made his way over to a large plush rolling chair in front of the desk and briskly sat down. Yami took it as his cue to follow, his eyes already trained on the several screens that presented themselves. He paused just behind Kaiba's chair as the brunet began the video clip.

The screens flickered on. Yami instantly recognized the location as the main room, which was currently empty. He could see the multiple displays from the Egyptian Exhibit currently in perfect condition, before the incident. Yami's eyes snapped to the time stamp, which was clocking forward with perfect speed.

However, there was a glitch, and for a moment the screen pixelated into several different colors before turning to the main focus; this time, Yami was there, having just walked into the room. Damn. The feed had cut off just long enough to miss if anything had come inside.

"...That's when I thought I had seen someone walk in..." Yami mused aloud as his on-screen self looked around, searching for the culprit in question. It was then that Kaiba came into the exhibit as well not too long after the smaller duelist. The two seemed to converse for a moment... but then...

The screen flickered. A loud buzzing, screeching sound ripped from the speakers, and on the screen a strange, contorted, smiling face with hollowed out eyes appeared for a brief second, thunder crashing loudly in the background. Yami jumped from where he stood behind Kaiba, a hand latching onto the back of the chair. Kaiba meanwhile startled silently, though not as bad as he had the first time, leaning back further back in his own chair in an attempt to put a little more distance between him and the current monitor in use. On the screen, the two appeared again, glass shattered and smashing from seemingly nowhere. The screen continued to flicker as the footage ensured, but along with the white noise, there were voices. Yami couldn't make them out, but he swore, he swore that they were calling out to him and Kaiba, though not by name. No name that he recognized, anyway. By the time the last of the cases has shattered into pieces, the noise had ceased, and Kaiba and Yami stood in the exhibit hall alone.

Yami knew he was holding his breath.

"...The last case," he finally managed to state, breathless. "...Fast forward to it, please."

Kaiba's heart was hammering away in his chest. Internally he was shaken but so far he had managed, for the most part, to keep a neutral expression in place. However, his usual emotionless mask was not enough to cover up the fact that he had gone pale from the sights and sounds they had just witnessed on the footage.

Shaken, the CEO reached up and selected a small mark at the bottom of the screen by giving it a quick tap. He placed another finger on the screen along with his pointer and made a turning motion. The recording began to play forward faster. Both young men watched as the scene played out on fast forward, the sirens a high pitched wail coming from the speakers. On screen Kaiba practically flew between Yami and the entrance right before the guards came flying into screen. The conversation whizzed by and Kaiba slowed the footage back down as the he drew closer to the final display case shattering, the security guards now getting closer to the point where they were nearby the crown's case.

On screen, Kaiba had started to head off, Yami watching the security guards whom were inspecting some of the fallen belongings. The tape was playing normally throughout, no interruptions, no flickering or abnormalities, nothing. On cue, the last case cracked up the side before shattering, glass flying everywhere on screen as Yami protected himself and Kaiba surged forward towards his field trip partner. The double crown fell from the exhibit case, where it clattered before Yami's feet.

The tape went black.

"_...S-S-Set-..." _A voice onscreen stammered out, distorted and pleading, but there was something about it that was oddly familiar.

It sounded like Yami.

"_He-elp... m-me..."_

The screen turned back on. The crown was in pieces, and Yami and all of his friends had gathered round to see the damage.

That was the end of the tape.

Kaiba hastily brought his hand up to the screen, all four fingers and his thumb touching the monitor. With a flick of his wrist he sent the window containing the footage from the center monitor in full screen to the next monitor to his left and downsized it to a small window.

The taller duelist's muscles were all tense and facial features were almost pinched in his effort to shrug off what he had just watched. His heart beat somewhat frantically against his ribs, and his breathing fought to betray his unnerved state to the other person present in the room. His mind grasped for an explanation to what he had just witnessed but he could think of only one but he, in all his thoroughness, had technically already ruled that explanation out by testing the authenticity of the file.

Then it hit him. Perhaps he didn't run the right checks. It was still possible someone had tampered with the file as some horrible joke. His normal cocky smirk flickered over his lips though it was still heavily mixed with the tinge of fear that was coloring his features. "Someone," he started, but was cut off by a large crash of thunder that shook the house and rattled the windows. The wind howled in defiance and the rain lashed out at the land and Kaiba's home. The CEO almost jumped in his seat, his blood running cold, his chair shifting due to his startled response, the back bumping into Yami.

The storm had rolled in fast while they were watching the video file but they hadn't noticed the increase in the storm's intensity since it had been strangely drowned out by the barrage of sound from the footage.

Lightning flashed outside and for a moment a part of the room was lit in a brilliant white that cast long reaching shadow's about the room from the curtain. The thunder rolled once more in a long overbearing growl and another flash illuminated around the curtain. This time the computers flickered and died as did the low light of the room. The low hum of the electronics died along with it. Thrown into utter darkness and overrun with the sounds of the storm, the two duelists held themselves frozen in place, their startled breathing lending the storm a ragged harmony.

Yami was silent for a moment as the two sat in darkness. Luckily for him, the darkness wasn't new to him, but its coming was still a touch rattling, considering what he and Kaiba had witnessed on the screen.

"...Is Mokuba..." Yami let out, voice trailing off.

Rising from his seat abruptly, Kaiba sent his large office chair back into his rival without a shred concern for the other young man. "Mokuba", he said quietly to no one in particular, his voice tinged with concern for his younger brother. He reached the door, fingertips tembeling from nerves, and pulled it open. With his usual graceful haste he disappeared into the complete darkness of the third floor hallway, the storm drowning out his movements. Fleeing with the taller youth went the only other feeling of life and warmth from the darkness ceased room.

"Kaiba!" Yami called after him, and the spirit of the puzzle hurried after him into the darkness. The manor was pitch black. The duelist's hand came down as he hurried after the CEO, catching up to him as the Sennen Puzzle produced a faint glow. He caught the brunet's hand in his much smaller one. "Hold on! If Mokuba _is_ in any kind of danger, you won't do him any good going in blind.

"Besides, I'm sure it's just a power outage, but lets work together."

The duel champion was granted only a few precious seconds to speak and maintain the small contact between the two of them before Kaiba's reflexes kicked in and he snatched his hand away. "I don't need your help to check on my brother," Kaiba spat defensively bringing the hand Yami had touched up to his chest.

The taller duelist let a second of howling winds and lashing rain pass before he looked away and confided, "Mokuba doesn't like storms and he doesn't like the dark."

That was all the explanation the brunet offered before he turned on his heel and began his fast paced walk down the long corridor towards his brother's room. The overall splendor of the manor was now made obsolete as it was all cast into a deep shadows and near nothingness, though flashes of white light bounced about the hallway off of gleaming polished surfaces as lightning flashed outside lending momentary relief from the heavy curtain of darkness enveloping the estate. To seal the more unsettling atmosphere, the hallway had grown cooler sine Yami and Kaiba had last passed through the large hallway not even an hour ago.

'_We should go after him!' _Yugi stated, and Yami was quick to comply, his shorter legs moving him down the hall after Kaiba. What if Mokuba wasn't in his room? This house was so big. Maybe he should call out for him or something...

Not only that, but he had managed to lose Kaiba at some point. Great. Yami slowed down. Maybe it would be in his best interest to just check a few rooms while he was there. If Kaiba found him first, great. Then Yami would just need to find the both of them.

He opened up a few doors as he made his way down the hall. A few of them were locked, and the rest were too dark to see exactly what was inside. Yami luckily wasn't bothered by the dark or the search; it was much like navigating inside the Sennen Puzzle. Since he hadn't found Mokuba, he wondered if Kaiba had already located his brother.

Yami paused by another door. He opened it, and immediately peered into the darkness.

"Mokuba?" He called out.

The room was blanketed in a thicker darkness than most every other room Yami had managed to get the door open to and look in. There were no signs of the frequent violent flashes that were dancing about the sky outside in the storm leading the spirit to assume there were no windows present on the unseen walls. Not only was the darkness thicker in the interior room, the atmosphere was too. It was drenched in a heavy silence that was void from the rest of the house, though the sounds of the storm filtered in from behind the champion duelist.

"Ya...Yami?" Called a quiet voice that sounded saturated with anxiety. Cloth shifted in the darkness and the voice came again, this time a little louder than before. "Yami," it called.

"Mokuba," Yami repeated, and an instant a relieved sigh left him, the spirit of the puzzle heading into the room. He was careful not to bump into anything as he headed over towards the younger Kaiba's voice. "There you are. Your brother is looking everywhere for you, I'm certain, with as panicked as he sounded." Well, as panicked as Kaiba could get, anyway. "Speak up so I can find you."

As Yami came in contact with the back of a large piece of furniture that came up to his chest he heard the ruffling of cloth yet again. The sound of blankets maybe? As the ancient Pharaoh's eyes adjusted to the pitch black he began to see the vague outlines of objects in the room starting with the ones closest to the door. The object in front of him more than likely being a large plush couch judging my the size and the softness to the touch. In the dimness he saw a small mass sitting up from the ground not too far in front of the couch. "I'm over here," the younger Kaiba finally spoke quietly, pausing as a loud crash of thunder shook the windows in the hall, "On the floor."

Kaiba was right. He _really_ didn't like thunder. Yami let out a noise in the back of his throat in thought, before he shifted in place, crossing his feet. He plopped down on the floor beside the dark-haired boy.

"...As you know, the electricity went out," Yami stated. He decided not to let Mokuba in on why it probably did. Surely it was just the foul weather. Or... weird magic. That video had him a bit on edge, though he was trying to keep a clear head about things. "...I'm sure it will be back on soon enough. Do you want to wait for Kaiba here, or do you want to go and try finding him?"

"...Do you think Seto will find us here?" Mokuba asked after a moment passed.

"Eventually," Yami stated. There was a roll of thunder that passed and he could hear it easily. The hallway lit up, light pouring into the cracks of the room. Judging by Mokuba's answer, the young boy had no intention of scouring the dark halls for his brother. That was fine.

Yami shuffled into the clip on Yugi's belt. He thumbed through the deck, just as the Sennen Puzzle took on a faint golden glow. He smiled a bit towards Mokuba.

"Want to play a game?"

Mokuba looked down at the deck. Through his nerves, a smile split onto his face. "Sure!"

A few minutes after the young Kaiba brother and Yami started playing a small game using Yugi's Duel Monster deck (a game that was in fact not actually Duel Monsters), Kaiba passed through the still open doorway. "Mokuba", he called out, his voice laced with worry though he was attempting to keep it level.

"Nii-sama!" the younger brother called out happily, jumping up from his place on the ground. Moving like he had the room memorized, which he did, Mokuba ran around the leather clad couch and up to his brother, throwing his slim arms around his older brother's waist.

Kaiba let out a low sigh of relief after having worked himself up a little. Mokuba hadn't been in the initial places he had checked, all of which where locations the younger brother should have been. The third floor entertainment room normally wouldn't have been too far of a stretch for the eldest brother, but given the hour it was farther down on the potential room's list than it would have been earlier in the evening.

"You should have been in bed, not in here playing games," Kaiba softly scolded, though his voice was anything but harsh towards his younger sibling.

"Sorry, nii-sama", Mokuba apologized, stepping back from his brother.

Yami collected his cards up from the game he and Mokuba had been playing, rising from his spot on the floor. He pocketed the cards, walking over to the two of them, the faint glow of the Sennen Puzzle lighting up he and Mokuba's faces.

"Now what?" He decided not to mention anything about Kaiba searching frantically for his brother or that he had found him first. Right now, he was more concerned about the power... and the storm. He... really didn't want to have to traverse back to the Game Shop in this weather.

"What do you mean 'now what'?" Kaiba responded some of his normally icy tone returning, "You saw what you wanted."

Mokuba stepped out from between Yami and his older brother, feeling the tension that was already mounting. His brother really had a way of changing the atmosphere in a room especially when it came to Yugi and anyone associated. Kaiba meanwhile was giving Yami a hard look that was only adding on to what the taller duelist had already said, and emphasizing what he wasn't saying.

'_Kaiba-kun sure does get in a bad mood fast...' _Yugi commented, and Yami gazed to the blue-eyed duelist momentarily, before shaking his head.

"And you saw it too. But I suppose that's enough for you, isn't it." Yami placed a hand on his hip. He didn't want to, but the Pharaoh did have something that Kaiba lacked: manners. "...I'll be able to look into things from here." Another pause. "Thank you, for letting me come here and view the video footage."

"The butler will see you out,"Kaiba stated cooly. Not saying another word, the CEO turned and walked out of the room, giving Mokuba a quick look that managed to say "follow me" and "go to bed" at the same time. At least it did to those who knew the subtle art of silent-Kaiba-speak, which the younger brother spoke fluently.

At first the small boy started after Kaiba, like the obedient younger brother he was, but it felt wrong to simply let Yami leave in this weather. The younger Kaiba couldn't imagine going out into the storm and having to make his way practically to the other side of the city. "Nii-sama", he finally called quietly after a moment of indecision.

If it had been anyone else the brunet wouldn't have stopped, but since it was Mokuba he halted his walk down the hall, turned, and looked directly at the small dark haired boy. Mokuba shifted as he tried to pick his words carefully. There really wasn't a whole lot of ways for him to put it so in the end he spoke plainly and simply. After all, picking too convoluted of a route would gain him a quick and simple no to what he was about to suggest.

"The weather's gotten pretty bad Seto, I don't think Yami should be walking around in it. Why doesn't he just stay here?" the small boy finally asked, bracing himself for some level of reprimand. Kaiba was never harsh with Mokuba, not really. However, Mokuba was still a little worried with Yami being part of the equation given Kaiba's intense dislike of Yugi's other half.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes a bit and his jaw tensed, a flash of lightning adding a cold hard edge to his features momentarily. The elder brother studied Mokuba for a moment, every ounce of his being reminding him he wanted the other duelist gone from his home. However it had been his younger brother who had asked and he had a hard time saying no to the younger boy. Especially when he thought it might hurt him. Besides, Yami had kept his brother company and had possibly calmed the younger boy's nerves in his absence. In a way he owed the smaller youth for what he had done and hated owing anyone anything.

His mind finally caving, Kaiba turned back away. "Fine," he consented, the word hard as stone.

Mokuba visibly looked relieved as he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. A more at ease smile spread to his lips, and he turned back to face the one who had eased his nerves earlier as he waited for his older brother. "This way," he said, waving a hand for Yami to follow as he padded off after his brother.

Yami nodded his head before heading after the two Kaibas. 'Mokuba saves the day' indeed. Yami hadn't been looking forward to heading into the storm, and waiting for the next bus home didn't sound like much of a pleasure. He didn't want to get Yugi sick, after all.

"Thank you," Yami stated again, though it was more directed towards Mokuba than Kaiba.

Kaiba ignored the second thank you of the evening, but Mokuba didn't. The younger Kaiba looked back at Yami as he padded along behind his brother and flashed another warm smile. As they approached a door that was a little wider and a little taller than most of the other doors on this hallway a young maid came rushing up to the eldest brother.

"Master Kaiba," she greeted ceremoniously, her slight figure tense as the taller young man approached. She relaxed upon seeing Mokuba coming along behind the master of the house, but her eyes nervously darted back to the brunet. He didn't look happy, and that was a complete understatement.

"He should have been in bed over an hour ago," Kaiba berated, his words biting despite the lack of volume. The small woman winced, her hands nervously folded in front of her.

"I know sir, I'm sorry sir," she answered giving a low bow.

"Seto," Mokuba cut in flinching a little himself, "It's not her fault...I kind of snuck out of my room."

The younger brother gave a nervous laugh and the maid gave him a careful yet grateful look for trying to take the heat off her, but she seemed almost resigned to the fact that it would be her fault regardless what the boy said.

Kaiba let out an irritated sigh at his brother but he said nothing directly to him. Once again his look said it all. "We will talk later." Well, all things considered Mokuba's plan had worked. He had taken the heat off the maid but got himself into a bit of trouble instead.

More than ready to be done with the whole night Kaiba simply rubbed his temples. "Make up a guest room for our guest," he finally commanded to the maid. He then turned his attention to his little brother. "You," he started giving Mokuba a tiered look for making him worry, "Bed. Now."

The dark-haired younger brother shrank a little into himself at the guilt for making his brother worry. It really hadn't been his intention when he slipped out of his room after the maid had made sure he was in bed. He just wanted to get in a little time playing his new game. After all, it wasn't like he had school tomorrow. It was Saturday.

Mokuba gave a tentative goodnight as he slipped past his older brother, who gave him a faint smile that said goodnight so he didn't have to verbally. At the same time, the-light haired maid gave another deep bow and hurried up to Yami.

"This way please," she requested with a hospitable smile. While the maid tended to Yami, Kaiba disappeared down the hallway no longer paying any attention to his unintentional guest. Some times even his simple plans were sent awry when it came to Yami and Yugi.

Yami nodded. He said good night to Mokuba, but didn't get the chance to with Kaiba before he left most likely to his own room. He followed the maid to the guest room, tired, as well as deep in thought.

…He was going to figure out the mystery behind that tape. Maybe he would learn more about himself, as well.

* * *

_The Priest:_ And that concludes Black Out. Comments? Questions? Loved it? Let us know. Leave us a review or message us. We would love to hear from you.

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